Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A few years later, though, the footage did leak out thanks to a Washington, D.C. radio shock-jock, who obtained the video from an unknown source and posted it on his website. Sign up for our Celebrity & Entertainment newsletter. So smooth. Diehl-Armstrong was meant to receive some of the heist money, which was what she and Roden had been arguing about when she killed him. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. Witnesses at the scene alleged that he walked out of the bank calmly and seemingly unperturbed. Because Wells owed Barnes and his friends so much money, he had no choice but to participate, according to Wired. Posted on July 30, 2011 by Vincit Omnia Veritas. Is it a coincidence that Roden's body had been stored in Bill's freezer (pictured above)? He was reportedly the putative creator of the collar bomb. To be fair, it's not a terrible plan, and it seems at first, Wells was only meant to wear a fake bomb. The story feels almost too insane to be real if it were a fictional movie plot, you might think: "Eh, this feels like a bit of a stretch.". Near the end of 2005, police received the final clue that led them to conclude that Brian Wells participated in the robbery. Forty-seven months later, however, in July 2007, law enforcement held a press conference where they announced the strangest twist yet: Brian Wells was not just an innocent bystander. Previously, investigators made only one of these pages available to the media. They said that if he followed the instructions on the paper, he would be able to disarm the bomb and would be unhurt, but he had a time limit he had to follow. Detecto una fuga de gas en su hogar o negocio. After leaving the bank, Wells was cornered by police in a parking lot. A true crime documentary about Brian Wells. A Wired article about Brian Wells. By Subject- Art Theft - Civil Rights - Counterterrorism - Crimes Against Children - Criminal Justice Information Services - Cyber Crimes - Director/FBI Leadership - Field Cases - Foreign Counterintelligence - General - History - Intelligence - International - Lab/Operational Technology - Linguist/Translation Program - Major Thefts/Violent Crime - Organized Crime/Drugs - Partnerships - Public/Community Outreach - Public Corruption - Recruiting/Diversity - Responding to Your Concerns - Technology - Training - White-Collar Crime. A cane-shaped shotgun found in Brian Wells' car. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were both eventually convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges. In July 2007, a month shy of the four-year anniversary of Wells' death by collar bomb, the US attorney's office in Erie called a news conference about "a major development" in the case. Standing before a bank of TV cameras, US attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced that the investigation was over. Diehl-Armstrong had a history with police, as mentioned earlier. The scavenger hunt was intended to sell the hostage story and throw the police off. While they were in route, something strange happened the bomb around Wells' neck began beeping faster and faster. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case Diehl-Armstrong was the plot's mastermind, according to Barnes. So the police traced the call for the two pepperoni pizzas to the transmission tower site and found Brians shoe impressions and tire marks there, but here the trail went cold. As was later proved in court, Diehl-Armstrong hatched the robbery scheme to force Wells into the PNC Bank in Erie with a ticking bomb around his neck because she apparently needed money so she that could have her father killed. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. 1 day ago, by Chanel Vargas Much like Rothstein, she also became a compulsive hoarder. Wells made off with $9,000, the most the teller could give him. She was found guilty of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and armed bank robbery, officials said. An odd but smart guy, and a retired television repairman. Marjories high school sweetheart was a guy named Bill Rothstein. Marjorie was apparently devastated by the death, and despite settling for $250,000 with the hospital in a medical malpractice case, Marjorie began to struggle even more with her mental illnesses. Rothstein passed away on July 30, 2004, from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. So what happened in that four year gap that led police to conclude that Wells was a collaborator and not a hostage? On August 28th, Wells entered the Erie, Pennsylvania branch of PNC Financial Services, wearing a bomb around his neck and carrying an unusual shotgun shaped like a walking stick. Wells told police that the bomb on his neck was on a timer and that hed been forced to rob the bank. In 1984, Marjorie (pizza bomber mastermind) had a boyfriend, Robert Thomas. Wells then followed the next set steps of his instructions, which directed him to a McDonald's near the bank, where he'd find a note with more instructions under a stone in the parking lot. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. The official synopsis for Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode, titled, Death Trap, reads: The bone-chilling case dates back to August 2003. As you may already know, everyone and their grandmother has a true crime podcast these days. Rothstein, meanwhile, was charged for his involvement with the crime, but never saw his day in court. In 1990, she married her next serious boyfriend, Richard Armstrong, who she called her one true love. (She mistakenly believed he was wealthy.). Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. Brian Wells' life tragically ended when he was forced to take part in a PNC Bank heist with a metal collar explosive around his neck. They detained Wells and placed him outside of a police vehicle, where he sat on the ground in a parking lot. When questioned, Marjorie tried to pin Rothstein as the mastermind since he had already died. She was deemed disabled due to her psychological condition, and got disability payments from Social Security, on top of the hospital pay out and help from her father, who bought her a house. Read the Book Spoilers Now, Rachel Weisz Stars as Twin Doctors in Reimagination of David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers", Sarah Shahi Jokes She Was "Notorious" at Her Kids' Elementary School After "Sex/Life" Premiered, Joshua Jackson Gets Into a Dangerous Affair With Lizzy Caplan in "Fatal Attraction" Series Teaser, Meet the 2 Other Actors That Help Pedro Pascal Bring the Mandalorian to Life, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. At the time, Wells appeared to be a hostage of the same crime he had just committed. Her co-conspirators were her then-boyfriend James Roden, who she murdered in the course of the crime, her ex-fiance Bill Rothstein, and another friend, Ken Barnes. Relatives said she had fallen out of touch with her family, and several phone numbers provided by two of her latest attorneys were either disconnected or belonged to other people. Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man, robbed a PNC Bank in Pennsylvania on August 28, 2003. The note was addressed to "Receptionist" and "Bank Manager" and referred to the man in front of her as "Bomb Hostage." At the time, police didn't make anything of it, but as they uncovered more clues in the case, they found this hoarding to be a recurring theme in their investigation. IE 11 is not supported. This led to even more twists being revealed. However, he was only able to get $8,702. Many leads for potential suspects turned up empty until a local man named William Rothstein tipped off state police to a frozen body in his garage. The walking stick Brian Wells was carrying was actually a homemade gu. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case against them. 14 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat He was betrayed, though, and the false bomb was switched out with a real one, according to All That's Interesting. He explained the situation to police, told them about the three Black men who had placed the collar on him, and how he had to follow his instructions or the bomb would detonate, according to Wired. Shortly after, authorities confronted him at the parking lot of a nearby Eyeglass World retail store. But for whatever reason, this one felt different almost immediately," Clark told producers. WebBrian Wells: The Pizza Bomber Case eponine aka epi 1.07K subscribers Subscribe 69 Share 10K views 3 years ago Welcome (back)! Woman questionedAn attorney, Lawrence D'Ambrosio, has said the FBI has repeatedly interviewed his client about Wells' death. A 46-year-old pizza delivery man with a bomb fastened around his neck robbed a Pennsylvania bank in August 2003, walking out with more than $8,000 in cash. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Rothstein had put a real bomb on Wells, though, so there were fewer people to split the money with, and he told police about the body in his freezer for the same reason. That night Marjorie refused to talk with investigators, but Bill was very chatty. The next time he was seen was later that same afternoon, when he walked into Eries PNC Bank and passed the teller a note demanding $250,000. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes are currently serving unrelated sentences in prisonDiehl-Armstrong for killing her boyfriend in 2003 and Barnes for a drug-related offense. At 1:30 PM, he was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the end of a dirt road on Peach Street. Or, at least, that was the story, but in an interview for Netflix's 2018 mini-series about the case, Evil Genius, Hoopsick claimed that this wasn't actually true. With a walking-stick and a huge protrusion in the front of his shirt what bank customers thought was a neck injury apparatus, but Wells claimed was a bomb The caller ordered two sausage and pepperoni pizzas and asked that they be delivered to a road on the edge of town. Retired FBI agents Jim Fisher and Jerry Clark, who was prominently featured in Evil Genius, also believe Rothstein was responsible for the crime. The true crime documentary revisits this so-called diabolical plot, which resulted in the death of an on-duty pizza delivery driver, who robbed a PNC Bank in Erie, Pa. with a bomb clamped around his neck. Indeed, Marjorie would only leave the house one night per week--on garbage pickup night, shed scour the neighborhood looking for things on the side of the road to add to her collection of hoarded ephemera. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Barnes was a misfit friend of Marjories. He had worked for 10 years at Mamma Mia's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a criminal mastermind. Wells, 46, was killed Thursday afternoon when a bomb attached to the collar exploded after a bank robbery. You can find out everything about the weird, complex crime in Oxygens weekly. The papers were addressed to the Bomb Hostage and contained directions first to rob the bank and then to proceed on an elaborate scavenger hunt for keys and codes to disable the explosive Wells wore. However, instead of bombs, information is the explosive motivator. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. In fact, the meticulous instructions also included detailed maps, descriptions of the bomb's construction, and very pointed threats to "Bomb Hostage" to follow the rules exactly. Acellphone was inside the case but wasn't wired to anything. This is an FBI handout photo of the collar device used to secure a bomb to Brian Wells' neck. Please logout and login again. 11 hours ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon Horrifyingly, this last bit was captured on camera. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. 2. 5. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. At 3:18pm the bomb exploded. Pennsylvania pizza deliveryman Brian Wells, 46, leaned against a police car in handcuffs and begged authorities to defuse the explosive device locked around his neck. On the stand, Marjorie gave a long and rambling testimony (possibly a symptom of bipolar). They turned their attention to the bomb instead. The bomb collar he wore was going to explode, Wells said. . This was the first task of a scavenger hunt that he claimed would save his life. They had uncovered evidence that he was actually in on the plot and worked with the perpetrators as an accomplice, according to Wired. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Philly.com says prosecutors had a witness, a prostitute who alleged that Brian often paid $15 to 20 to have sex with her at Bills house, but its only an allegation. Apparently, this didn't seem to dissuade Wells. A bizarre robbery plot involving mental illness, a love triangle and a ticking bomb placed around the neckof an unwilling robberleads to multiple murders. A witness pointed authorities to a man named Kenneth Barnes (another compulsive hoarder), a close friend of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, claiming that Barnes had been involved in the bomb collar case. Wells was handcuffed and left on the pavement. The PNC bank teller, shocked by the note Wells had handed her, told him that she wouldn't be able to produce $250,000 for him. Was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the scene that. 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